Deputies: Drunk grandparents tow child in toy car | Crime | Sarasota News (http://sarasota.wtsp.com/news/crime/118193-deputies-drunk-grandparents-tow-child-toy-car)

Sarasota, Florida -- A grandmother and grandfather are facing numerous charges for towing a toy plastic car from behind their SUV... with their grandchild seated inside.

According to the arrest report, a Sarasota deputy on patrol spotted the SUV on Sunday, pulling a small plastic Hot Wheels car with the 7-year-old girl inside. The toy car was connected to the SUV with dog leashes tied to the trailer hitch.

The vehicle was traveling about five to 10 miles per hour, and a woman was riding in the rear with the hatch open, cheering the child on. The little girl had on a bathing suit, and no protective gear.

The deputy immediately pulled the vehicle over, and in the arrest report states the driver of the SUV, 49-year-old Paul Berloni, had a strong smell of alcohol on him.

Berloni told the deputy his drivers license had been suspended for 10 years for DUI and at first said he had only two or three drinks. He later allegedly told the deputy he drank more, but wouldn't say how much.

Berloni refused to take a field sobriety test and was placed into custody.

The woman riding in back, 47-year-old Belinda Berloni, was also reportedly intoxicated and told the deputy that while she knew it was dangerous to drag the toy car, they were "just having fun and had been doing this all day."

http://forums.somd.com/news-current-events/246182-yep-florida-again.html

Well heck...did the cop even bother to ask the child if she was having a good time??

I mean, come on.....:coffee:


I do agree that there are safer ways to entertain yr kiddies. I built this example...after I got tired of charging the stoopid battery all the time. With this, its the kid's choice how fast they go (quite surprisingly fast, as it turned out...:whistle:) and not the whim of the towing vehicle.:buddies:

Well heck...did the cop even bother to ask the child if she was having a good time??

I mean, come on.....:coffee:


I do agree that there are safer ways to entertain yr kiddies. I built this example...after I got tired of charging the stoopid battery all the time. With this, its the kid's choice how fast they go (quite surprisingly fast, as it turned out...:whistle:) and not the whim of the towing vehicle.:buddies:

IS THAT A WEED WHACKER ON THE BACK!!!??

AWESOME!!!!!

To be honest, the grandparents being drunk does bother me......, but what they doing, by itself, doesn't :shrug:


EDIT: when it would snow, my dad would hitch an aluminum 'dish', to the snowmobile, with a 50 ft rope......trees everywhere, but FUN!

IS THAT A WEED WHACKER ON THE BACK!!!??

AWESOME!!!!!

!

yup...one of the heavy duty models with a centrifugal drive clutch under the engine. Grafted on to an MTD lawn mower transaxle...affixed to Walmart electric car.

I..uh..might have ...er...understimated what the end result would do when my four-year-old climbed in and promptly put the gas pedal to the floor. (i.e. how he drove it when it was still electric). Scared the byjeebus out of both of us, it did! I still remember thinking, as he rocketed off out of view like shot from a canon, making a turn on two wheels, that I was probably going to jail as soon as we got done at the emergency room. :whistle:

He eventually got pretty good at driving it around before he outgrew it a year or so later.

When I lived in Crofton there was a couple of brothers who used to do stupid crap like that. One afternoon as I was going through the front door, I saw the older driving a truck with a rope behind and a toddlers 'oscar mayer' weinie mobile with the 12 year old in it... at a pretty decent clip too...

went inside, changed clothes, looked out the window to see if they were still at it and if anyone had called the cops yet... ambulance, cops, fire dept... dead 12 year old... wheel disintegrated and slung him sideways head first into one of the trees lining the road... right in front of my court...

Big brother didn't even have his license, just a permit... It's just a bad idea...

When I lived in Crofton there was a couple of brothers who used to do stupid crap like that. One afternoon as I was going through the front door, I saw the older driving a truck with a rope behind and a toddlers 'oscar mayer' weinie mobile with the 12 year old in it... at a pretty decent clip too...

went inside, changed clothes, looked out the window to see if they were still at it and if anyone had called the cops yet... ambulance, cops, fire dept... dead 12 year old... wheel disintegrated and slung him sideways head first into one of the trees lining the road... right in front of my court...

Big brother didn't even have his license, just a permit... It's just a bad idea...

sad story mate =(

All 3 of my kids were home at the time... I took them out and showed them what happens when you make really stupid decisions... Doesn't matter if it was all in fun... There a no do-overs for fatal mistakes...

Grandparents are lucky they got busted... Could be like that 15 year old, about 10 years ago... He will live with the knowledge he killed his little brother for the rest of his life...

Sad indeed...